Cityorkers

What makes you a real Cityorker? To me, Paris and New York seem to be a single city, a perfect city combining the Parisian art of living with New York’s energy. I think that a real Paryorker manages to adapt totally to the two lifestyles.

How did you become one? Born in France, I left Paris at the age of 25 to travel round the world. My first destination was New York, where I planned to stay a year at most. But I liked the Big Apple so much I stayed 10 years! Although I have now moved back to Paris (especially because I missed the French language so much), I cross the Atlantic as often as possible.

Which other Cityorker do you know? A lot of my friends shuttle back and forth between Paris and New York, like Maggy Le Coze, the owner of French restaurant Le Bernardin in New York. All the Cityorkers I know feel the same way about the two cities: they like the contemplation of Paris and the vitality of New York.

How are the two cities important in the balance of your work and/or personal life? Although my life is now in Paris, I miss New York very quickly. The city inspires me. For instance, a whole passage in my novel "Les Yeux Jaunes Des Crocodiles" came to me while reading the New York Times. I also feel very close to American literature and the very factual style of its authors, so much so that when I was younger I attended a writing course at Columbia University.

Are there things you do that are strictly related to one or other of the cities? In New York, it is easier for me to visit museums, galleries and even the opera. I think that culture is very accessible in New York. Prices may be less than in Paris, but the main thing is that the opening times are more flexible – it’s possible to see a performance right at the last minute.

Paris makes me want to sit at a table outside a café, drink a coffee and watch the locals – their way of walking, dressing, tying their scarves, wearing hats… I observe every detail.

What metaphor can you think of for the two cities? Paris and New York are like a perfect, complementary couple. Ying and yang. Two distinct entities which form a whole. Two halves of different apple varieties which form the ideal fruit (to stay with the idea of the Big Apple!). On one side of the Atlantic, beneath the Eiffel tower, lies consistency, stability and savoir-faire… On the other is the unexpected, the exciting where something astonishing and worthy of a science fiction novel could happen at any moment.

What is your best memory of Paris? My daughter’s very first breakfast. When we came out of hospital, my husband and I had a coffee outside a café with the baby before going home. It was very early in the morning and we were on the Place du Trocadéro celebrating in one of those typical bistros I love so much.

What is the first thing you do when you arrive in Paris? As always, I drink a coffee outside a bistro! The zinc, the waiters, the boiled eggs in their rack… I miss all that so much in New York.

What is your favorite time of day in Paris? The morning, around 6am, when there is nobody in the streets. That is when I can really enjoy the city’s architecture, without the soundtrack. I love this hushed, very picture-postcard Paris.

Do you have a ritual intimately associated with the city? I love losing myself in Paris. I take the metro and decide to get off at a completely random station. If possible in a district I don’t know very well, so I can explore every nook and cranny. One of my most astonishing discoveries was the Orthodox Church, in the Rue Lecourbe in the 15th arrondissement. At the end of a courtyard, I spied this large wooden construction, a real dacha, with an orthodox priest dressed all in black officiating.

What about Paris do you love/get excited about? The stone of the apartment blocks! For me, these stones are blond and hot. They are so reassuring and friendly. They make me want to stroke them! And actually, I admit it ‒ often I do stoke the stones of Parisian apartment blocks.

What is your best New York memory? Walks with William Styron. Elle magazine asked me to interview the great writer. The meeting went so well we became friends. William and I were practically neighbors. We would meet halfway between our apartments and walk for hours through the city, talking about literature and our childhoods…

What is the first thing you do when you get to New York? I always stay with the same friend when I visit New York. As soon as I have dropped my bags off at her apartment, I rush to Bloomingdales for a frozen yogurt! The delicious deserts are served at a bar in the basement called Forty Carrots. Savoring one of these drinks has become my way of saying hello to the city.

And the last before you leave? I look at Manhattan from the distance, from the taxi taking me to the airport. All those buildings pointing up towards the sky, surrounded by the ocean - that is the image of the city I want to keep with me.

What is your favorite time of day in New York? When the sun sets over the Chrysler Building, which I always think is the most beautiful skyscraper in New York. It makes the steel begin to sparkle…

Do you have a ritual intimately associated with the city? I love visiting St. Peter’s Church on Lexington and 54th Street. There is a tiny chapel on the ground floor, decorated with sculptures by French artist Louise Nevelson. It is a real haven of peace, pure and white, sheltered from the New York crowds.

What about New York do you love/get excited about? The sky is so blue… like in the mountains. The light it gives out is really special, as hard as steel.